


Runaway Miraculous

by fictionalinfinity



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Episode: s03 Timetagger, Fluff, Gen, Time Travel, emma agreste timetravels, no beta we die like men, this has been sitting in my wip folder for months lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:28:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25577335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalinfinity/pseuds/fictionalinfinity
Summary: When Marinette is too sick to fight an akuma, her trusty daughter Emma is on the job!Or so she thinks.Timetagger has other plans.-emma gets sent to the past to meet her parents and help save the day
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Emma Agreste, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Emma Agreste & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 13
Kudos: 219





	Runaway Miraculous

Emma Agreste was the daughter of Ladybug and Chat Noir, Paris’ famed superheroes. 

The thing was, Ladybug and Chat Noir didn’t know that Emma  _ knew _ she was their daughter. 

It had all seemed rather obvious to Emma, even from a young age. Her brothers might not have been able to see it, but she  _ could.  _ Emma was smart like that. She prided herself on it. 

They were always being pawned off on their grandparents whenever an akuma attack occurred. When Ladybug or Chat Noir alternated patrols, one of her parents was mysteriously absent from their bedtime ritual. Her maman was strangely fond of her plain black studs and her papa treasured the massive ring he wore on his right hand. When her maman was pregnant with her little brother Hugo, Ladybug took a rare leave of absence. For  _ nine months.  _

Also, the little floating ladybug and cat creatures were a little incriminated. Scratch that, a  _ lot _ incriminating.

Emma was surprised no one had put it together before. It was so  _ obvious.  _

No one knew she knew, though. Emma had kept her own secrets. The little floating creatures never thought to look for her when they had their midnight kitchen raids, and her maman and papa were oblivious. 

Emma had to admit, she felt a little bitter that her parents didn’t trust her. She was also a little miffed that they didn’t think their daughter could handle a miraculous of her own. That was why when an akuma appeared to wreak havoc on Paris and Ladybug failed to show, Emma decided to prove that her parents could trust her. That she could be a hero too! Plus, she was home for her lunch break, so it wasn’t like she would miss any school. 

Earlier that morning, Adrien had left for work, unaware that Marinette wasn’t feeling well. He would have no idea as to why Ladybug didn’t show up to the fight. Her maman was currently sleeping off a fever in her bed, unaware of the chaos taking place outside of their home. Her earrings were ripe for the taking. Marinette was in no condition to fight, so wouldn’t Emma be doing her a favor anyway? Or, at least, that was what she tried to tell herself. 

Gently, she pried the studs from her maman’s ears and replaced her own earrings with the miraculous. Quietly, she called out for the little floating creature whose name she had picked up on. 

“Hello? Tikki?”

At the sound of the sharp gasp she heard, Emma’s head swivelled in horror in the direction of her maman, but exhaled a sigh of relief when she saw that Marinette was still asleep. When she turned back around, Tikki was floating right in front of her. 

“Emma? What are you  _ doing?” _ Tikki asked, her voice filled with horror. 

Emma shrugged. “Maman’s sick, and Paris needs Ladybug! Quick, how do I transform? I don’t want Papa out there alone for too long.”

Tikki frowned. “Emma, I don’t think this is such a good idea… you shouldn’t even know about me! You need to wake up your maman,” she told her gently, but Emma refused. 

“Trust me, I’ve seen Maman when she’s sick. She won’t be waking up any time soon!” Emma laughed, thinking of times past. “Just tell me what I need to say!”

Tikki was clearly resistant, but she couldn’t ignore a direct order from her holder. “Say, ‘spots on’. I guess you know the rest?” She huffed a sigh. 

“You bet!” Emma grinned. “Spots on!”

The feeling of the magic washing over her was like a breath of fresh air. Emma felt rejuvenated and eager and so very  _ alive. _ A look in the mirror told her that her blonde hair had been pulled back with a single red ribbon. Her mask was entirely black, which surprised her, but she found it highlighted her bright green eyes well. 

The main body of the suit was almost entirely red, save for elbow-length black gloves and knee high black boots. There was also a small train, originating at her waist, almost resembling a skirt. Her yoyo was tucked underneath the fabric but easily accessible if she needed it. 

“Alright,” Emma breathed, trying to psyche herself up. “This is it. I… I can do this. I can  _ do _ this!” She cheered, then clamped over a hand over her mouth in horror. She peered back at her maman, who was thankfully still asleep. 

With that, Coccinelle took her first steps as a hero. 

If Emma had thought transforming was cool, swinging over the city was  _ incredible! _ Of course, she may have overshot the first few times and hurriedly corrected while trying not to plummet to her death, but that was neither here nor there. Once she got the hang of it, it was exhilarating. 

As Emma got closer to the Louvre (where the akuma had been reportedly sighted), she caught the sound of her papa’s voice.

“Haven’t we already fought you, like, twice? This is getting a little old, don’t you think?”

The akuma, Timetagger she thought his name was, replied with some ridiculous rhyme. Chat Noir made to attack him with his baton, but Timetagger disappeared and reappeared a few feet away.

Emma landed warily, assessing the situation. Timetagger raised his weapon, aiming for Chat Noir, and her eyes widened. She quickly threw her yo-yo, tying it around the villain’s wrist and jerking it towards her. 

Timetagger growled and before Emma could hope to assist, he disappeared again. 

“Hey, Bugaboo! Just like old times, ri…?” Chat Noir began, obviously having recognized her yo-yo, but not having seen her. Once he turned around, however, his voice trailed off and his expression filled with horror. 

_ “Emma?!” _

Emma waved in reply. “Hi, Papa!” 

Chat Noir’s mouth opened and closed for a few moments as he looked at her with wide eyes. Finally, he seemed to find the ability to speak. “What are you doing here?! Where’s your mother? How did you get the earrings?” He barely paused for a breath. “Kid, I love you, but  _ what the hell?” _

“Maman’s sick,” Emma shrugged. “I figured you could use some help!”

“Mar- er, Ladybug’s sick? Is she alright? Wait, no, stop trying to distract me! You should  _ not _ be out here!” He scowled. “Go home at once, young lady! You’re not safe-!”

Emma didn’t let him finish the thought. In a split second move, she threw herself in front of her father just as Timetagger raised his weapon, having suddenly reappeared, and  _ fired. _ She heard her father begin to cry out, and then-

Nothing. 

Emma found herself flat on the concrete, just a few feet away from where she’d been standing moments ago. What had happened? Had Timetagger’s weapon misfired? Why hadn’t she been sent back in time?

“Woah, you alright there?” Her papa’s voice asked, and Emma wasted no time in leaping up to hug him, relieved. 

“Oh, Papa, I’m so glad you’re alright! I thought he was going to get you!” She exclaimed, holding on tight. 

Chat Noir did not return her hug. 

“Wh-What?  _ Papa?” _ Chat Noir asked, voice full of confusion. Emma pulled away, frowning, finally taking a good look at him. 

_ “Shit.” _

-

“You expect us to believe you’re from the future, huh? How do we know you’re not an akuma?” Ladybug asked, voice laced with distrust as she crossed her arms over her chest. Emma kept having to do a double take every time she looked at either one of them. These were not the parents she knew and loved so well. She couldn’t help the wince at her mother’s tone. Marinette had never used it on her before. 

“And make this quick, we’re about to transform back,” Ladybug added, the beeping of the earrings and the ring emphasizing her point. 

It wasn’t their fault, exactly. They didn’t know she was their daughter, and they had no reason to trust her, but it still hurt. 

“Look, these are your earrings, aren’t they? Tikki helped me transform with them just this morning,” Emma explained, pulling at the earrings that currently resided in her lobes. The name of Tikki seemed to catch their attention. Suddenly, her story was much more believable. 

“Okay, so then why did you call me ‘papa’?” Chat Noir frowned. 

“Uh… because you are?” Emma raised a brow, before turning to Ladybug. “Is he always this dense?” She smirked. Her papa must have grown past the denseness at some point, because Adrien always seemed rather good at putting the clues together. He’d figured out her identity almost immediately in the future, at least. 

Or… maybe he remembered this exact event and recognized her, years later. Okay, that made way more sense. 

The comment seemed to actually get a laugh out of Ladybug, though, which made Emma pleased. Chat Noir just pouted. 

“Ah, you’ll grow out of it?” Emma tried. That seemed enough to pull Chat Noir out of the bad mood, though. He’d always been quick to bounce back when she was little. 

Ladybug took the opportunity to get in Emma’s face a little, examining her with narrowed eyes. “Huh… you really do look alike, don’t you?”

“Ah, yeah, I get that a lot,” Emma rubbed the back of her neck nervously. Ladybug had failed to recognize any of the parts of her that belonged to the superheroine, it seemed. Although with the mask, Emma didn’t much resemble Marinette anyway.

Now that the pressure of convincing her parents was gone, however, the gravity of the situation began to weigh heavily on her. 

Emma had probably made a mistake by telling Chat Noir that she was his daughter, but she made up her mind not to give anything else away. Rule number one of any time-travel movie was not to reveal anything about the future lest you accidentally change it. Emma doubted that it would change much if she told them she was also Ladybug’s daughter, but she didn’t want to risk it. Things had played out between her parents in a specific way for a reason and she shouldn’t mess with it. 

Emma was really starting to regret having taken her mother’s miraculous that morning. Maybe she should have listened to Tikki after all. 

“So, if you’re from the future, how’d you get here anyway?” Chat Noir began, frowning. “I didn’t think the ladybug miraculous had the power of time travel.” Emma noticed her mother fiddle with the studs in her ears subconsciously at the comment. 

“An akuma sent me back here. Although, without the ladybug cleansing, I’m not sure how Papa is going to be able to purify the akuma and get me home!” Emma explained, coming to the realization at the exact same moment the words fell from her lips.  _ She had really messed up this time. _

“Well, I think Chat Noir and I should probably go recharge our kwamis, but after that we’ll try and help you find your way home, okay? I’m sure your parents miss you,” Ladybug offered, her eyes darting over to Chat Noir incredulously for a moment, as if still not believing that he was her father. Their jewelry beeped another warning. 

“Yo, yo! I’m Timetagger from the future, man! I criss-cross time with a spraypaint can. Looks like your time’s up at last, ‘cause I’m gonna send you way back to the past!” A familiar rapping began to pick up, and Emma groaned. 

“He  _ followed _ me?” She exclaimed, already moving her hand to her yoyo. It hadn’t helped much last time though, and she was very inexperienced with it. Emma doubted she’d be much help with it. 

“This is your akuma, then?” Ladybug asked her with a frown, her yoyo already spinning protectively in front of her. How was her maman so good at that?

“Yep,” Emma replied, popping the p at the end. In quick succession, Timetagger sent a man her parents called Mr. Ramier, back to the past and spray painted the ground to create jump points for himself all the while he taunted them with his annoying rhymes.

“If you don’t give me your miraculous, I’ll send everyone back to the past!” Timetagger warned, giving Emma a wink just to prove his point. Emma gulped. She really should have just left her mother’s earrings alone that morning. 

“We’re almost out of time,” Chat grimaced, looking down at the blinking paw print on his ring. “Come on, girls, lets get somewhere safe.” Together, the three of them ducked for cover, her father’s hand placed protectively on her shoulder as they ran. 

Once they were inside the Louvre, Ladybug immediately dashed inside of the women's restroom to detransform. Chat Noir almost did the same in the men’s room, but something caused him to hesitate. He looked at her frowning. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Emma asked, wondering why he wasn’t hurrying. 

“You… you know who I am, right?” Chat asked her, his hand coming up to rest on the back of his neck nervously. 

Emma smiled knowingly. “Of course I do,  _ Adrien,” _ she confirmed, dropping her voice to a whisper so Ladybug wouldn’t hear. 

Her father practically wilted in relief, and a warm smile spread across his face. “That’s… good. I don’t like the idea of keeping secrets from family,” Chat told her, and then glanced over at the door that Ladybug was hiding behind. “I should go before she sees me. Back in a moment!” Then, he ducked inside to detransform. 

Emma was a little disheartened at the revelation. Her parents had never intentionally spilled the superhero secret, and she’d only found out because she’d put the pieces together on her own. What had changed from then to now?

Ladybug and Chat Noir re-emerged from the bathrooms at the same time, and the mamanent they did, a young woman on rollerblades crashed into them. Emma watched the scene unfurl with wide eyes.

“Crazy! So the message  _ was _ for real,” the girl with pink hair stared up the heroes in awe.

“What message?” Ladybug frowned. 

The girl replied, telling them some story about a fancy watch, which was revealed to have a message for them. Emma’s eyes continued to widen at the ridiculousness of it all. Then, Ladybug seemed to decipher the message, sending them running towards the Egyptian exhibit. 

Ladybug knocked on an obelisk. “There, it sounds hollow! Do your thing, kitty.”

“Cataclysm!” Chat responded, bringing the power down on the obelisk. When it crumbled away, a very familiar figure was revealed to be standing inside. 

_ “Bunnyx?” _ Emma whispered incredulously, earning strange looks from the others. Bunnyx yawned and hopped down. 

“Minibug, Kitten! I knew you’d solve my riddle,” she greeted. “A basic security measure in case the watch is stolen. But now… waiiiit,” Bunnyx hummed suspiciously. 

Bunnyx’s eyes settled on Emma. “You. You’re not supposed to be here. I don’t remember this  _ at all.” _

“Hello, Auntie,” Emma waved, cringing internally. In the future, she knew Bunnyx well. 

“You… you figure out my identity? Huh,” Bunnyx seemed miffed. “You’re just a baby when I’m from, but if I remember correctly, you go by… Coccinelle, right?” She smiled slyly. 

“That’s… that’s true,” Emma replied, shocked. She hadn’t told anyone the hero name she’d come up with. Did that mean she got to use it again in the future? 

Chat Noir and Ladybug watched the interaction with wide eyes, both of them trying to piece together why Emma had called her ‘auntie’. Chat was the more confused of the two, knowing perfectly well he didn’t have a sister. Emma almost felt bad for him as she watched the way his face contorted into confusion. 

Then, Bunnyx was revealed to be Alix, and the confusion got even worse. 

“You’re… you’re… Alix’s brother? What the fuuuu…” Ladybug trailed off, horrified. Her eyes flitted between them uncomfortably. Then, so quiet Emma almost couldn’t hear her, she added, “do I have a crush on Alix’s brother…?”

Emma choked. 

_ “No!” _ Emma, Chat, and Bunnyx cried in unison. Ladybug flinched, even more startled now. Off to the side, Alix was leaning over her knees as she laughed so hard she almost cried. 

“No, she’s not! She’s just a family friend, I promise! I call lots of people auntie,” Emma attempted frantically. Alix laughed harder, and Emma glared at her. 

“I-If you’re sure…” Ladybug stuttered, still looking horrified. 

“Very,” Emma forced out between grit teeth. 

With that settled, Bunnyx explained her mission to them and Chat Noir recharged his kwami. Apparently they had to send Timetagger to the future, where Ladybug and Chat Noir would be strong enough to defeat him. 

“Well, Coccinelle, if you’re here that means I can’t send him to the timeline you’re from, because there isn’t a Ladybug. I’ll have to pick a moment between now and when you got sent back. Shouldn’t be too hard!” Bunnyx declared. “And even though I don’t remember you being here, I do remember that mini-me was. She’s gotta stick around even though she can’t play hero yet, got it?”

The others nodded, and then they were off once more. 

As they ran through the Louvre, noticing even more changes in the past, Chat turned to pose a question to Emma and Bunnyx. “Tell me, in the future, are Ladybug and I like…” He trailed off, making a heart with his hands to imply where he’d intended to finish. 

Emma blanched and turned panicked eyes on Bunnyx. The time travel hero knew how to better handle those kinds of questions than she did. Bunnyx laughed. 

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to grow up to discover that one, kitty. The kid here doesn’t exactly look much like your bug here, does she?”

Bunnyx threw her a covert wink and Emma let out a laugh when Chat harrumphed. Her aunt seemed to have successfully thrown her father off of her trail! Maybe they could preserve the timeline after all. Her father had made her watch Back to the Future enough times to instill a good fear in her of accidentally managing to erase your own existence by meddling with your parents’ relationship in the past, and she wasn’t eager to test the theory herself. 

Ladybug did not seem so willing to accept the statement, however, and cast a suspicious eye on Emma. Emma studiously avoided her gaze.

Once they got outside, Bunnyx and Timetagger began a brutal game of cat and mouse with one another. Timetagger kept sending Bunnyx further back every time she returned from the past using her miraculous. After an incident with Chat near cataclysm-ing her umbrella, Bunnyx finally got him through the portal. Emma sighed with relief. 

“Thanks for your involuntary help, young friends! Now,  _ you, _ young lady, are coming with me. I’m taking you home,” Bunnyx raised a masked eyebrow. Emma huffed and reluctantly waved at her parents, knowing she was really in for it once she got back home. 

However, Bunnyx faltered. 

“Wait a second, this is not the exact right moment-”

The game started anew as Timetagger returned, and neither seemed to get the upper hand. Eventually, Bunnyx began to tire. When Ladybug noticed, she offered to surrender their miraculous only if they were allowed to send a letter to their future selves. Emma frowned, confused. As far as history went, Ladybug had never surrendered. Why was she doing it now? 

Ladybug’s plan apparently worked perfectly, because not long after that another Ladybug and Chat Noir assisted the fight via the future. With that, Timetagger was defeated, revealing it to be her Uncle Nino’s brother, Chris. Emma had always heard of Ladybug’s hairbrained schemes, but it was the first time she’d seen one in action. She vowed to not doubt her maman again. 

“All right, for real this time, Coccinelle. We gotta hit the road,” Bunnyx threw a thumb over her shoulder once everything was settled. 

“W-wait!” Ladybug suddenly called, making Emma and Bunnyx whirl around in surprise. “Can we… have a moment to talk to her? Please?”

The thought of having a real, normal conversation with her parents when they were her own age thrilled her. Emma looked at Bunnyx imploringly, and the weary hero acquiesced. 

“You’ve got until their jewelry times out, okay?”

“Thank you!” Emma cheered before running over to where her parents waited. 

“Me first. I’ll be quick,” Ladybug promised, leading Emma away from Chat’s hearing. She looked at Emma seriously for a moment before squaring her shoulders and clearing her throat.

“You’re my kid, aren’t you,” Ladybug stated rather than asked. 

“Whaaaaat? Pshhh,  _ no,” _ Emma snorted and waved her hand dismissively. She had a feeling her attempt at a "casual smile" looked more like a grimace. 

Ladybug only smiled. “That only proves it. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you for any spoilers, but… it’s nice to be able to set my eyes on you, you know? I look forward to meeting you for real,” she told her warmly, before pulling her into a tight hug. 

“Thanks, maman,” Emma sighed into the embrace. “Would it be too much if I asked you to not be  _ too _ mad at me when I get home? I may have uhhh, broken a few rules this morning…”

Ladybug looked surprised by the admission, but a wry smile replaced the expression. “We’ll see. No promises. Now, go talk to your father before he times out, okay? I’ll see you soon!”

When Emma approached Chat Noir, he looked less nervous to speak to her than he had earlier. He greeted her with a smile and a hug. Emma returned it fondly. When they pulled apart, his eyes flitted over to Ladybug. 

“I won’t ask you what you talked about with Ladybug, because that’s between you and her, but I do have one or two quick questions before you have to go, if that’s okay?” He asked hopefully. 

“Go for it!” Emma replied. He relaxed some. 

“Okay, cool! So, uh, first question… what’s your name? Your real name, that is.”

“Oh! It’s Emilie. Emilie Agreste, but you like to call me Emma,” Emma supplied easily. She didn’t think it was too spoiler-y. 

“Oh,” Chat’s breath left him in a whoosh. “A-After Mere? That’s… I love it,” he gave her a wobbly but clearly happy smile before clearing his throat. “Final question. Are you happy, in the future?”

Emma was caught off guard by the question and the serious tone with which he’d asked it. It certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting. 

“Am I… happy?” She repeated the question, and he nodded firmly. 

“I am,” Emma answered. “I’m really happy, actually,” she laughed, thinking of how her papa and maman liked to spoil her with love. 

Chat’s glee matched her own at the answer. “That’s good to hear. I don’t care about anything else. That’s… that’s all that matters, really.”

With that, his ring beeped its final warning and he had to run with a hurried goodbye, Ladybug having left as soon as she’d said her goodbyes earlier. Emma watched her father disappear over the skyline before she finally rejoined Bunnyx, who had reappeared after taking Chris back to his own time. 

Although she worried what the reactions would be when she returned home, it filled Emma with happy warmth to know that even now her parents clearly cared about her, despite how the little time they’d spent together. 

“Okay, kid. Want to tell me why you have those earrings?” Bunnyx asked as she led Emma into the portal. 

“I… thought it was a good idea at the time?” Emma cringed. Bunnyx barked out a laugh. 

“Sure you did, kid. Good luck telling this one to your parents, huh? Oh, look, it’s your stop,” Bunnyx declared, unceremoniously shoving Emma out of the portal. “And try not to need my help again, you hear?!” She called after her before the portal vanished.

“You’re back! Oh, thank goodness you’re alright,” Chat Noir immediately enveloped her in a hug. “Ugh, I’m so mad at you. You can just take a hit for me!”

“You do it for maman  _ all the time!” _ Emma whined. 

“That’s different. She’s my wife, I’m allowed to take hits for her.” Emma scoffed. “And you’re just fifteen! You weren’t even supposed to know about us, much less be in the field taking hits!”

“Do even remember me from the past? Shouldn’t have you known this was going to happen?” Emma frowned while her father sighed. 

“You overestimate how bright I was at that age. I had no clue exactly how old you were or how you’d gotten the miraculous. Your mother and I thought we were meant to hand it down to you one day and that’s how you’d wind up in the past, not that you’d  _ take _ it!”

Emma laughed. She  _ had _ seen firsthand that Chat wasn’t that quick on the uptake at her age. “Okay, fair!”

Chat pulled her into another hug. “I’m not mad at you, I was just worried. Once I figured out where you’d been sent I was able to calm down a bit. Now, your  _ maman _ might be a different story…”

-

Marinette was waiting for them in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, by the time Emma and her father made it home. Emma had to bite back a groan. 

“Are you mad?” Emma probed tentatively. 

“What do you think, young lady?” Marinette tapped her foot against the floor disapprovingly. “Hand over the earrings, please.”

Emma did as asked, handing the studs over to her maman and allowing Tikki to zip out of her pocket. 

“I thought we raised you better than to do something like this, Emilie,” Marinette frowned. “What you did today could have gone very differently. Being a hero isn’t a game.”

“I… I’m sorry, maman,” Emma wilted, looking down at the floor. She hated her mother’s disappointment. 

“Oh, come here  _ ma petite fille,” _ Marinette cooed, drawing her into her arms. “I just love you so much. I don’t want to see you hurt, alright? It was… it was brave of you to step up when I couldn’t, despite everything else, okay?”

“Okay, maman,” Emma replied softly, burying her face in her mother’s chest. A moment later, her father joined them, resting his cheek against the top of her head. 

“Maybe…” Marinette began, “maybe one day we can discuss giving you a miraculous of your own. We can help you ease into it. For now, just keep being our sweet daughter, okay? You’re already more than enough for us. Don’t tell your brothers, though! They’d freak.”

“Gah, I can only imagine,” Adrien snorted. “Hugo might just disown us for not telling him sooner.”

“Agreed,” Emma smiled. “He’s  _ obsessed _ with you two.”

“Alright, alright, as much as I love hugs, I still need to get dinner started. And maybe while we’re cooking you could explain to us just how you figured out our identities?” Marinette raised an eyebrow. Emma only laughed. 

She really did love her family.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thanks to everyone in the miraculous fanworks sever for encouraging me to finish this!
> 
> thanks for reading. kudos and comments are appreciated!
> 
> I’m also a mod on a multifandom discord server and I’d like to extend an invitation to all of you, my readers. If you’re looking for a place to talk about your favorite fandoms, participate in productivity sprints and book club, promote your own works, and be a part of an all around lovely community, [click here!](https://discord.gg/GtE7UvS) We’d love to have you!


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